Five arrested, Rs 1.5 crore recovered in heist case

Published: Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 11:00 [IST]

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Chennai, Sep 23 (UNI) Police today achieved a major breakthrough, by arresting five people, including two employees of a jewellery shop, in a case relating to waylaying and looting of Rs 3.72 crore from a container vehicle near Villuppuram last month.

The money was being transported to Chennai by a popular jewellery house in Tiruchirapalli for purchase of gold when the gang dressed like policemen, waylaid the vehicle near a railway gate, emptied the container vehicle and escaped with the cash on August 10.

Five special teams, formed to crack the phase, zeroed in on Shanmugamani, working in the Jewellery house, who had not reported for duty since the day of the heist.

Police arrested him and after extensive questioning, spilled the beans. He admitted that he along with another employee Marudhu planned the heist, upset over the jewellery owner denying financial assistance for them.

Additional DGP Rajendran, who led the investigation, said that Rs 1.5 crore were recovered from the accused.

They fled to Thanjavur and then returned to Trichirapalli after a few days. In all, ten people were involved in the heist and they had shared the booty among themselves.

However, the arrest of Mr Shanmugamani and four others, led to solving the case. Five others involed in the crime were absconding and a manhunt was launched to nab them, police said.